Integrated header



Get. 21, 1969 R. A. MILLER 7 INTEGRATED HEADER Filed Dec. 15, 196' 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROBERT A. MILLER ATTORNEYS Get. 21, 1969 FiledDec. 15, 1967 2 Sheets-Shae 3,473,266 INTEGRATED HEADER Robert A.Miller, Plainville, Conn, assignor to The Stanley Works, New Britain,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Dec. 15, 1967, Ser. No.690,972 Int. Cl. Etiob 1/14; E056 13/02, 15/06 US. Cl. 49-504 8 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An integrated header assembly for slidingdoors is constructed from a minimum number of extruded stock componentsdesigned and configurated so as to provide an interlocked assemblysimply and quickly constructed and installed in the field and integratedwith the door frame to provide a custom installation regardless ofvariations in the size of the door opening. The assembly includes apivotable cover facilitating ready access to the interior of theassembly for repair thereof and is free from all visible fastenersthereby presenting a neat and pleasing external appearance.

The present invention relates to an overhead support structure for asliding panel and more particularly is directed to a new and improvedheader assembly for power operated sliding doors and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a header assembly ofthe type described which utilizes extruded stock components designed forsimplified, yet customized, field assembly and installation despitevariations in the size of the door opening, the components being readilyinterlocked into an integrated, preinstallation assembly and providing alightweight yet rugged and sturdy construction of clean, unobstructedand pleasing appearance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedheader assembly for a power operated sliding door wherein the headerassembly is integrally mounted on the door frame transversely of thedoor opening and has a door operator housing as the principal supportingcomponent of the assembly with the door carrying track slidablyinterlocked with and supported by the housing, the assembly beingcomprised of easily fabricated components available in stock lengths andrequiring only minor drilling, cutting and/or punching operations duringthe assembly thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved header assembly of the type described having a housing coverwhich facilitates ready access to the interior of the housing along itsentire length without the removal of any portion of the housing, therebyfacilitating easy adjustment and repair of the internal components withthe assembly.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedheader assembly of the type described which employs only a fewstandardized interlocking basic components of nonvarying design alongtheir entire lengths enabling their use with door openings of differentsizes without requiring any substantial modification or variationthereof.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of theapplication which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a sliding door States Patent iceassembly including the improved header construction of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partially broken away andpartially in section, illustrating the extruded interlocking componentsof the header assembly of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, wherein like referencecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, there isshown in FIG. 1 a power operated door package, generally designated 10,which in the embodiment illustrated includes a fixed or emergencybreakout door panel 12 mounted adjacent one side frame member 14 and asliding door panel 18 depending from the header assembly 20 forreciprocable sliding movement in a plane parallel to and adjacent panel12 between open and closed positions. The header assemby 20 is securedto the side frame members 14 adjacent the top of the door opening andhouses a door operator 22 which operates the sliding door panel 18between its open and closed positions in response to the actuation of asuitable switching mechanism such as a mat switch located on the ingressand/or egress portions of the passageway for the door. As best shown inFIG. 3, the sliding door panel 18 is adjustably suspended from a trolley24 at a suitable height, the trolley being linked to the door operator22 by an operator lever 26. If desired, a nylon bumper 28 may beprovided to prevent the trolley from being accidentally dislodged fromits track as the result of a sudden jarring or other irregular movementof the door panel. Thus, the panel 18 is provided with smoother, morereliable reciprocable movement.

In accordance with the present invention the header assembly 20, whichis mounted transversely of the door opening adjacent the top thereof,includes an elongated operator and trolley enclosure 30 or generallyrectangular cross section which is of appropriate size to additionallyhouse the auxiliary equipment necessary for the operation of the slidingdoor panel, such as the electrical and air lines associated with thepower Operation of the door. The enclosure 30 comprises a main headerhousing 32 of generally C-shaped cross section and a substantially flatand smooth front cover 34 pivotally supported by the housing, the freeend 36 of the cover extending slightly below the top of door panels 12,18 to essentially curtain or conceal the operator and trolley mechanismswithin the header assembly. The C-shaped housing 32 is an elongatedextruded member comprising a generally flat, rectangular back portion 38and a pair of integral top and bottom arms 40, 42, respectively,extending forwardly from the top and bottom edges of the back portion 38at substantially right angles thereto. The free end 44 of the top arm ofthe housing is provided with a depending, elongated ball socket 46extending along the entire length of the housing for cooperating withthe continuous, bifurcated ball connector 48 inwardly offset from thetop edge of the generally rectangular cover 34. As can be seen from FIG.3, the elongated ball and socket type joint is constructed so as toprevent radial removal of the ball connector 48 from the socket 46 orundue play in the joint which could cause rattling of the cover whilefacilitating pivotal movement of the cover through an arc of at least topermit full and ready access to the interior of the housing. In thismanner, the internal components of the power operated sliding door 10can be easily serviced without the necessity of removing the cover. Atthe same time the smooth unobstructed and uncluttered exterior of theenclosure provides a clean, pleasing appearance free from unsightlyfasteners and the like.

The longitudinally extending bottom arm 42 of the housing 32 is providedon its free end with a downwardly opening rabbeted dovetail channel 50extending along the entire length of the housing as well as anelongated, upstanding flange 52. Supportably carried by the flange 52 isan integral, elongated boss 54 having a U-shaped central channel 56 withserrated ribs along its length, staggered to conform to the shape andpitch of screw threads. The channel 56 is tapered slightly toward themouth of the channel with lip portions 58 extending forwardly of theflange 52 and having outwardly flaring exterior faces 60. A plurality oflongitudinally extending screw-receiving beads 62 are formed as integralportions of the extruded housing 32 and, as illustrated, are preferablylocated at the areas of juncture between the arms 40', 42 and theirabutting housing portions to give added strength and stability to thehousing in view of its function as a main supporting component of theheader assembly.

Supported by the housing and interlocked therewith through a pair ofmortise and tenon connections disposed a tright angles to each other isan elongated, extruded track 70 on which rides the door supportingtrolley 24. The track 70 includes a generally fiat, vertically disposedbody portion 72 having an integral, forwardly and downwardly extendingrail support 74 which carries on its upstanding rail base 68 anelongated nylon rail 76. Extending rearwardly from the bottom of bodyportion 72 is an elongated flange 78 having a dovetailed tenon 80 whichcooperates with the rabbeted channel 50 located on the lower arm 42 ofthe housing to slidably interlock and support the track on the housing.A depending, vertically disposed skirt 82 is also provided on the bottomof body portion 72 and extends slightly below the top of door panels 12,18 on the back side thereof for concealing the trolley mechanism in muchthe same manner as the front cover 34. An uppermost flange 84 of thetrack 70 having on its free end an elongated screw bead 86 similar tobeads 62 on housing 32 projects rearwardly from the top of body portion72 and supportably rests on the top exterior surface of the channeledboss 54. As will be appreciated, the weight of the door will cause theflange 84 to bear against and be supported by the flared surfaces 60 ofthe boss 54 while the screw bead 86 provides an additional means forsecuring the header assembly to the upstanding frame members 14 prior toinstallation within the door opening.

An intermediate flange 90 extends rearwardly of the body portion 72along the length of the track and projects upwardly to an acute angle tobody portion 72 so that it is juxtaposed the flared bottom lip 58 of thehousing. Accordingly, the uppermost and intermediate flanges 84, 90define an elongated dovetail channel or mortise for receiving thetenon-like lips 58 of boss 54. During assembly the mortise formed byflanges 84 and 90 is preferably apertured at various points along thelongitudinally extending depression 92 so that a threaded fastener 94may pass through the aligned mortise formed by flanges 84 and 90 intothe slightly tapered channel 56 of the boss 54, forcing the lips 58outwardly into intimate compressive contact with the interior slidingsurfaces of the flanges thereby securely positioning the track at afixed point on the housing and preventing relative movement within thetrack-housing assembly.

Aflixed at intervals along the track 70 and preferably at the endsthereof is a clip 100 of L-shaped cross section having on its verticallydisposed leg 102 a rearwardly projecting tapered boss 104 complementaryto the depression 92 of the track with which it mates upon assembly. Theleg 102 is further provided with a notch 106 which cooperates with themounting finger 108 projecting forwardly from the upper end of the trackbody 72 to properly position the clip 100 relative to the track. Asshown in phantom in FIG. 3 a countersunk central aperture 110 may be cutin the leg 102 at the boss 104 to permit fastening of the clip 100 tothe housing by the threaded fastener 94 passing through the track intothe threaded channel 56 of the housing. The integral, horizontallydisposed leg 112 of the clip 100 is provided with a terminal detent 114and recess 100 for securely interengaging the inwardly projectingsimilarly contoured latch 118 located on the interior of the housingcover 34. It will, of course, be appreciated that additional clips 100may also be positioned intermediate the ends of the header assembl ifdesired, so long as they do not interfere with the travel of theoperator lever 26 during the opening and closing of the door panel 18.

As shown in FIG. 3 an operator base 120 for supporting the operator 22within the housing rests on the clips 100 at each end of the housing andmay, if desired, be secured thereto by the fastener 122 shown inphantom. A longitudinally extending front notch 124 is provided in theoperator base 120 to permit communication between the operator 22 andthe trolley 24 by the opeartor ever 26 while the remaining portion ofthe base 120 rests on the track throughout its length. The operator base120 is thereby supported within the header asembly by the mainsupporting housing 32 through the track 70 and clip 100 and is enclosedby the cover 34 and housing 32 to give a smooth, neat and pleasingexternal appearance.

In accordance with the present invention and as mentioned hereinbefore,the basic structural components of the header assembly, that is, thehousing, cover, track and clip are all extruded metal members,preferably formed of lightweight extruded aluminum and are produced instandard lengths as stock items which can be readily cut to size in thefield to provide a custom fit for door openings of diflerent sizes. Thehousing 32, cover 34 and track 70 are preferably stocked in twelve footor other convenient lengths while the clip 100 need be no longer than afew inches in length since, unlike the other components, it does notextend the full lenth of the header assembly. Advantageously, each ofthe components of the header assembly exhibits substantially uniformdimensions throughout its entire length and can be readily cut to sizeat the installation location to provide rapid, accurate and customizedfabrication of the assembly.

It is an additional advantages of the present invention that the headermay be preassembled and integrated with the frame members prior toinstallation of the entire unit within the door opening. This can beeffected by longitudinally sliding the track 70 and cover 34 on thesupporting housing 32 to provide the necessary interconnectionstherebet-ween. For example, the vertically projecting dovetail tenon ofthe track 70 and the horizontally opening mortise defined by trackflanges 84 and will longitudinally slide along the bearing faces of thechannel 50 and lips 58 of the housing to provide the desiredinterlocking assembly between the track 70 and housing 32. Threadedconnectors 94 may then be passed through suitable apertures in the trackso as to contact the threaded channel 56 of the boss 54 andcompressively wedge the tenon-like lips 58 of the boss 54 into secureintimate contact with the flanges 84, 90 of the track thereby fixing therelationship between the components and preventing slidable displacementof the track relative to the housing. The cover 34 is also hingedlyconnected to the housing 32 by longitudinally sliding the bifurcatedball connector 48 into the socket 46 carried by the upper arm of thehousing. At this stage in the assembly the frame members 14 may befastened to the header enclosure 30 by passing selftapping screwsthrough the frame members 14 and into the screw-receiving beads 62, 86thereby securely fastening both the housing and the track on the frameprior to installation within the door opening. Although the clips andoperator 22 may be mounted Within the header assembly before it isattached to the frame members or installed within the door opening,these members are most conveniently secured within the enclosure 30after installation of the lightweight enclosure, track and frameassembly within the door opening.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing detailed description, theheader assembly of the present invention provides for the use of stockcomponents capable of being rapidly assembled in the field ininterlocking fashion with a minor amount of drilling, cutting orpunching operations. The extruded components in stock length are easilyfabricated of lightweight yet rugged and sturdy material and aredesigned and constructed so as to provide a header assembly wherein thehousing is the principal supporting component of the assembly. At thesame time, the interlocking arrangement of the various componentsfacilitates an integrated assembly of the header on the door frame and aclean, unobstructed and pleasing external appearance for the assembly.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modificationsand adaptations of the structure abovedescribed will become readilyapparent Without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a header assembly for a sliding door having an enclosure mountedtransversely of the door opening and an overhead track for the doorsupportably mounted on the enclosure, the combination wherein theenclosure and track are elongated extruded members with the enclosurehaving a plurality of bearing faces extending longitudinally along thelength thereof and the track having complementary elongated interlockingsurfaces in intimate supported contact with the bearing faces, at leastone pair of said bearing faces being divergent in cross section and thepair of track surfaces complementary thereto being convergent in crosssection to facilitate longitudinal assembly thereof and interference toother than longitudinal separation, said track being provided with meansfor compressively locking at least one of the faces of the enclosureagainst its complementary surface on the track for securely holding thetrack in a fixed position relative to the enclosure.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the divergent bearing faces andcomplementary interlocking surfaces define a dovetail connectionassuring facile aligned assembly between the enclosure and the track andthe locking means includes a wedge urging a bearing face andcomplementary surface into compressive holding engagement.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the enclosure includes a coverproviding ready access to the interior of the enclosure, said coverbeing connected to the enclosure through a continuous pivot hingeconnection extending along a substantial length thereof and a clipconnector spaced from the pivot connection.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the bearing faces and complementaryinterlocking surfaces define a pair of mortise and tenon connectionsangularly disposed relative to each other, each connection extendingalong the length of the enclosure and facilitating longitudinaltelescoping assembly of the track on the enclosure.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the enclosure includes a housingcomprising a substantially flat back wall portion and a pair of integralside anm portions projecting outwardly from opposite ends of the backportion to give a generally C-shaped cross-sectional configuration tothe housing, the lower side arm having an integral upstanding flangemounted in the free end thereof, said flange carrying at least one pairof said divergent bearing faces, the track being positioned juxtaposedsaid flange and having a flange-traversing leg provided with at leastone of said complementary converging surfaces in intimate supportedcontact with a divergent bearing face.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the enclosure and track are extrudedstock items of substantially uniform design and cross-sectionaldimensions along their entire length.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the compressively locked face on theenclosure is carried by an internally serrated channel tapered slightlytoward its mouth and the locking means includes a Wedge slightly largerthan the channel mouth and insertable therein to part the channel andurge the face carried thereon into compressive engagement with itscomplementary surface.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the enclosure includes a bifurcatedboss defining a longitudinally extending channel, the exterior surfacesof the boss including said pair of divergent bearing faces adjacent themouth of the channel in the form of a dovetail tennon, said convergenttrack surfaces being disposed in the form of a dovetail mortiseintimately receiving said tennon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,575,083 3/1926 Tracy 49-409 X3,327,428 6/1967 Hartan et a1 49-401 X KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 1687, 94, 49409

